Efficiency from pioneering model

Located in Ha Long City, Quang Ninh Province, the Anh Duong House was inaugurated in April 2020 by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, with technical and financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA). The house is designed with many rooms from examination rooms, health consultation rooms, to reading rooms, bedrooms, etc. The rooms are designed with moderate areas but cozy and fully equipped with essential appliances and equipment to serve the lives of women and girls who are victims of gender-based violence in emergency situations.

Sunshine House in Quang Ninh.

This is considered a safe haven for victims of gender-based violence. The staff at the Sunshine House are on duty 24/7, ensuring that no distress calls or requests for advice are missed. The team of specialists here are trained in handling sensitive information, with the principle of putting the victim at the center. All services at the Sunshine House are completely free, from basic needs such as eating, bathing, to medical care, psychological counseling and legal support. This helps victims not only receive physical care but also mental protection, respect for privacy and personal honor.

According to statistics from the Quang Ninh Provincial Social Work Center (the direct management unit), after one year of operation, the hotline 18001769 of the Sunshine House has received about 1,500 calls, of which 300 were related to domestic violence. The Sunshine House has also received 17 temporary shelters, including cases where both mother and child stayed for many months, and received full support in terms of health care, psychological counseling and career guidance, helping them gradually stabilize their lives.

From the success of the first model in Quang Ninh, Vietnam now has 5 One-Stop Service Centers nationwide. In January 2022, the second Sunshine House was established in Thanh Hoa with funding from the Japanese government. Subsequently, UNFPA and the Center for Research and Applied Sciences on Gender - Family - Women and Adolescents (CSAGA) cooperated to expand this model in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Most recently, on January 9, 2025, the fifth Sunshine House was opened in Hoa Binh.

According to UNFPA, to date, the Ánh Dương House system has provided integrated services to 1,666 victims of violence and received more than 26,260 calls. This model not only provides comprehensive support to victims but also demonstrates effective coordination between the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, local authorities and international partners in responding to gender-based violence.

For a safe, violence-free future

The aim of the Sunshine House is to detect and prevent violence and provide comprehensive support to those who have been abused. Services ranging from medical care, psychological counselling, legal support to emergency shelter are all based on the principle of victim-centredness, ensuring respect and protection of their dignity, privacy and confidentiality.

Launching ceremony of Peace Sunshine House. (Photo: UNFPA)

This is completely consistent with the National Program on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Control for the 2021-2025 period and the revised Law on Domestic Violence Prevention and Control (2022). This affirms Vietnam's commitment to building an equal, violence-free society.

According to Mr. Le Khanh Luong, Director of the Department of Gender Equality, Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, since the first Sunshine House was built and deployed in Quang Ninh province in 2020 and now the 5th Sunshine House has been launched, it has affirmed the commitments and joint efforts of agencies and organizations to eliminate violence against women and girls in particular and achieve gender equality in general, contributing to the implementation of the National Strategy on Gender Equality for the period 2021-2030, the Program on Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence for the period 2021-2025 as well as the Law on Prevention and Control of Domestic Violence amended in 2022. With professionalism and outstanding advantages in providing support services for victims of gender-based violence, the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs hopes that the Sunshine House model will continue to be replicated nationwide in the coming time.

UNFPA Representative in Viet Nam, Mr. Matt Jackson, also emphasized: The Sunshine House not only supports victims but also contributes to changing community awareness, eliminating prejudice and stigma against victims of gender-based violence. To ensure the sustainability and long-term impact of the model, UNFPA is committed to working with the Government of Viet Nam and other partners to replicate this model nationwide to meet the urgent need for services that put survivors at the center of violence. This will end gender-based violence in a comprehensive and consistent manner, ensuring that survivors can access quality, timely support services, regardless of where they are or what their circumstances are.